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Quality Management at UNAD with Social Relevance
Quality management in higher education constitutes a strategic process aimed at institutional strengthening, organizational innovation, and the social relevance of educational processes. In this context, Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD) has established a quality assurance model based on self-assessment, self-regulation, and social knowledge management, linked to the development of academic programs relevant to regional and national needs. This initiative is part of ECEDU's PIE 039 project and VISAE's Comprehensive Quality Assurance System for Programs and Services, both aimed at training leaders in curriculum and academic management.
The document addresses the historical evolution of higher education in Colombia and the role of UNAD in expanding educational coverage, social inclusion, and democratizing access to university education in historically excluded regions. It also highlights the processes of cultural innovation and knowledge management implemented to strengthen accreditation pathways, the renewal of qualified registrations, and institutional evaluation, integrating mechanisms for support, training, and monitoring of curriculum and academic leaders.
The experience demonstrates the consolidation of an institutional culture of quality supported by information systems, management indicators, and continuous improvement processes that integrate planning, execution, evaluation, and self-regulation. Similarly, the importance of social knowledge management is recognized as a strategy to strengthen the adoption of quality practices and the development of educational responses relevant to the country's social, economic, and territorial needs.
